It was like Woodstock, only better. Students from the northwestern Connecticut Berkshire League schools met at the swimming facility at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville on Saturday, March 3, for the annual swimming and diving championships. There was loud music blaring, but it was nothing compared to the loud colors and patterns that adorned the bodies of the teenaged competitors.
Boys and girls alike were decked out in a riot of extra gear under and over their regulation one-piece swimsuits. The swimmers wear them in part to create more "drag" on their bodies as they do their warm-up laps (once they shed the extra layers, the swimmers said, they feel like they’re flying through the water at high speed).
The outfits (as well as "tattoos" drawn in waterproof marker all over their backs, legs and shoulders) are also meant to encourage a winning spirit. Apparently they were effective: the most bedecked teams were Shepaug and Northwestern Regional 7, which dominated the meet.
"We’re a small school compared to the top five teams," pointed out Jacquie Rice, who is a coach of the Housatonic Valley Regional High School Mountaineers with Rhonda Rinninsland. Among the smaller schools, Housatonic has acquited itself well: "We beat Wamogo twice."
Most important, she said, is the improvement her swimmers have seen in their own performance.
"All of our swimmers improved their own times, which is more important than the overall team record."
The Housatonic team captains are Allison Casey and Meghan Kenny. When asked about the team’s lack of body art, Allison said simply, "It’s straight-up swimming."
— Cynthia Hochswender
